Judd Gregg on his nomination for Secretary of Commerce

Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you for taking this rather extraordinary step of asking me to join your administration as Commerce Secretary.

We are, as you noted, in the middle of a very difficult economic time. People are worried about their jobs. They're worried about how they're going to pay their bills. They're worried about how they're going to send their kids to college. And you've outlined an extraordinarily bold and aggressive, effective and comprehensive plan for how we can get this country moving.

This is not a time for partisanship. This is not a time when we should stand in our ideological corners and shout at each other. This is a time to govern and govern well. And therefore, when the President asked me to join his administration and participate in trying to address the issues of this time, I believed it was my obligation to say yes, and I look forward to it with enthusiasm.

The Commerce Department is a -- has a broad and interesting portfolio, as the President outlined, but its primary goal must be to create jobs by promoting industry, promoting economic activity, and promoting excellence in science. And I intend to pursue those avenues aggressively.

I want to especially thank my wife, Kathy, and my family for encouraging me to do this and being willing to stand by me as I take on another effort in my career. And I also want to thank the Governor of New Hampshire for his courtesy and courage in being willing to make this possible through the agreement that we have relative to my successor in the Senate.

Again, Mr. President, I thank you for choosing me to participate in this effort. Let's go out there and get this country moving. Thank you.